Cuesta-Rey (originally '' 'La flor de Cuesta-Rey' '' and still printed on the box) is a brand of handmade ''

cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and Fermentation, fermented tobacco leaves made to be Tobacco smoking, smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct comp ...

'', founded in 1884 by ''Angel LaMadrid Cuesta'' and ''Peregrino Rey''. Cuesta, a

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern Nation state, nation-state of Spain. Genetics, Genetically and Ethnolinguisti ...

, had apprenticed in cigar making in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

before he met Rey. They formed the company in the

Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mai ...

district of

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

to make 'clear Havana' cigars (cigars made in the United States using imported Cuban

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

). As well as making their own brands they made cigars for other companies such as

Nat Sherman Nat Sherman is the brand name for a line of handmade cigars and "fashion brands, luxury cigarettes". The company, which began as a retail tobacconist, continued to operate a flagship retail shop, known as the "Nat Sherman Townhouse", located on ...

. In 1958, ''Karl Cuesta'', Angel's son sold the company to the ''J.C. Newman Cigar Co.'' and since the 1980s they have been produced in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

by Tabacalera A. Fuente.

Current brands

*Cabinet Selection *Centenario Coleccion *Centro Fino Sungrown

References

* R.C. Hacker, The ultimate cigar book (2003, 3rd Ed.) *

Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars The ''Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars'' is an annually published and updated reference of cigar brands available in the United States, including specifications and information regarding each cigar, as well as basic cigar knowledge in gener ...

(2006 Ed.), Richard B. Perelman, * Bati, Anwer - "The Cigar Companion" (1997, 3rd Ed., Reprinted: 1998-2000, 2003),

External links

Historical Images for Cuesta-Rey
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211100100/http://usf.sobek.ufl.edu/results/?t=cuesta , date=2013-12-11 from the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...

http://www.cigarfamily.com
Cigar brands History of Tampa, Florida 1884 establishments in Florida Products introduced in the 1880s